Author	[Modern View]
Animal 01-20-2013 16:21:13 71.51.217.13 Report to Moderator	You guys that use them can you tell me what you like about them? [Reply]   [No Email]
longmeadow farm 01-21-2013 04:40:56 72.224.6.238 Report to Moderator	Re: stub guards in reply to Animal, 01-20-2013 16:21:13   The last Mower Conditioner I owned was a JD 1219 with stub (non clog) guards. This was a number of years now as I've switched to disk type MO CO. The stub guards worked rather well in typical working farm crop conditions. They don't plug and can cut through the down and tangled stuff rather well. The trick is to keep them in proper cutting condition, as per the operators manual, et al. Most important is that the knife must run consistently, regarding knife registration and height. Replacing a worn guard with a new one will cause knife registration/height problems and the machine will not cut cleanly My machinery is always kept in the sheds, so I don't have experience with MO COs that have been left out in the elements, but I suspect it doesn't do them much good. I suspect that cutting non working farm hay crops could be accomplished Ok with less than a machine in good cutter bar condition, but I guess I'm the wrong person to comment regarding same... [Reply]  [No Email]
rankrank1 01-20-2013 19:44:41 198.228.228.146 Report to Moderator	Re: stub guards in reply to Animal, 01-20-2013 16:21:13   Well I have a mixture of 3 types of guards on my Hesston 1120 mower conditioner (aka Haybine equivalent). The outer 40% are the expensive Hesston stub guards with set screw adjustments (about $27 a piece), the middle 5% are the conventional ones that are more blunt tipped $12 (more like a combine guard), and the other 55% is the conventional guards that really extend out to a longer point $14 (common NH type haybine guard). Really I can not tell any difference in the crops that I cut. Supposedly the stub guards work much better in tangled and down crops. Luckily, I have only had to deal with one crop that was a down and tangled mess (massive hail damage on that crop). I had some problems everywhere but my sickle sections were worn badly too. Regardless I got through it even with crap sickle sections. What I have noticed is that I always cut with an ole antique tractor so I do not have a hydraulic cylinder on moco. I only lower the header with a manual ratchet once when I enter the field and raise it once when I exit the field and simply mow roundy round towards center. If I am cutting an odd shaped field and have to cross and already been mowed area for some reason (yeah bad news with a sickle) then the conventional guards will plug where the stub guards are much less likely to clog (still not foolproof though). I try to never do this of course but...odd shaped fields can be problem without a cylinder Anyway, while I like the stub guards at over 2.5 to 3 times the cost of a conventional guard (for the ones like on my Hesston) then I highly doubt I opt to buy any of those when I need them. Of course I am just a small time operator on a shoe string budget too. Lastly those expensive Hesston stub guards also serve as the sickle hold clips too so you do not use traditional hold downs with them. Adjusting them requires dinking with shims then loosening the guard and adjusting allen head set screws and then retightening the guard (kinda a pain). The conventional guards use traditional hold down clips so a Big hammer applied on hold downs and a cheater pipe applied on guards allows much quicker and easier adjustment of them. This post was edited by rankrank1 at 20:04:52 01/20/13 4 times. [Reply]  [No Email]
JD Seller 01-20-2013 19:14:11 208.126.196.144 Report to Moderator	Re: stub guards in reply to Animal, 01-20-2013 16:21:13   When they are new an in adjustment, they are great. If they are worn out and out of adjustment you will hate them. When using them you need to keep the sickle in very good condition. You do not have the top of the guard to aid cutting. The stub nose guards cut more like a pair of scissors. So the clearance needs to be kept close or the crop will hair pin around the guard and not get cut. Kind of like an old pair of scissors that are set too wide. If you mow a lot of hay in damp conditions then they would be worth the investment. If you have mainly grass hay and mow when it is good and dry then they would not be that much better than a good conventional setup. So if you are buying a used machine with them really check on how worn the guards are. The are not cheap to put in a full set. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bernie/MA 01-20-2013 17:39:04 67.142.166.20 Report to Moderator	Re: stub guards in reply to Animal, 01-20-2013 16:21:13   What I like most you can mow right thru cut windrows without plugging. The only time it plugs is when you've broken two adjacent knives on a rock and don't know it. I have a Hesston 110, 1967 model. [Reply]  [No Email]
Larry NEIL 01-21-2013 10:59:35 75.63.56.224 Report to Moderator	Re: stub guards in reply to Bernie/MA, 01-20-2013 17:39:04   Stub guards let me cut right after a rain when the crop is still a little wet without plugging. Although not a problem of late, the extra day I get trying to dry enough to bale before the next rain helps. They sure don't plug any time as much as the standard guards, but a rocky field will cause a ton of broken knives with stub guards. [Reply]  [No Email]